SKAMANIA COUNTY, Wash. (NBC/KGW) – May 18 is an anniversary that folks in the Pacific Northwest do not remember warmly.
It’s been 40 years since Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington State. The disaster killed 57 people.
In the two months prior to the eruption, there were nearly 3,000 earthquakes recorded at the volcano.
A 5.1 earthquake on May 18 burst through the top of the mountain, reducing its height by some 1,300 feet.
Ash from the volcano covered parts of eleven states and Canada, and caused more than $1 billion in damage.
The Mount Saint Helens eruption occurred May 18, 1980.
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